1. Technical Field
The present application is directed generally to oral hygiene products. More particularly, this application is directed to a powered toothbrush. Specifically, this application is directed to a powered toothbrush having a replaceable brush head including a driveshaft with a cam, where the cam causes a first bristle block to move in a first manner, and the first bristle block in turn causes a second bristle block to move in a second manner.
2. Background Information
Dentists have advocated for some time that people should brush their teeth for at least two minutes using circular motions to remove plaque from their teeth. Making effective circular motions was fairly difficult for the average person when the toothbrush being used was a manual brush. This type of brushing motion became much easier with the advent of powered brushes that include rotatable bristle blocks. It has been recognized that simply rotating bristles on the teeth is insufficient to adequately clean the teeth. Consequently, powered toothbrushes have been developed where more complex bristle motions are undertaken. An example of one type of powered toothbrush that exhibits these complex motions is that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,725,490 issued to Blaustein et al. The '490 patent discloses a powered toothbrush which has a first bristle holder and a second bristle holder. A first cam and second cam are provided on a rotatable driveshaft. The first cam engages the first bristle holder and the second cam engages the second bristle holder. As the shaft rotates, the first cam and second cam cause the first and second bristle holders to move. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first bristle holder is caused by a first cam on the driveshaft to oscillate or vibrate about an axis that is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the driveshaft. The second bristle holder is moved by a second cam on the driveshaft in a direction that is generally parallel with the axis of rotation of the first bristle holder.
While the previously known devices provide a variety of complex bristle movements for cleaning teeth, there is room in the art for another powered toothbrush where the bristles are moved in a variety of ways so as to more effectively clean teeth.